Method of water-heating.



PATENTED SBP-T. 2o, 1904;-

l UNITED STATES Patented september 20,1904.

PATENT YOFFICE'.

METHOD OF WATER-HEATING.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent BNo. 770,264, dated September 20, 1904. Application ma espantar 17,1903. Serin No. 173.580. (no man.)

To afllwhom" it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID COCHRANE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have -invented cer'- tain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Water Heating, Regulating, and Feeding, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the methods of heatingand regulating feed-waterV nin'crease the general vefficiency and convenience of any installation employing my improved method. y

Where open feed-Water heaters are used -in connection with surface condensing plants,

they 'are generally installed so that the water from the surface condenserlisdischarged into them, the supplementary water, needed to make good the leakagebei g introduced into the heater, and the exhaust from the auxil- \iaries being 'used to heat the water in the heater'. In soine cases this auxiliary exhaust maybe supplemented by steamfrom an intermediate necelver 1n connection with the main engine or from other sources. in such cases it is of course important that the least possible demand be made upon the supplemental steamsupply, whilev attaining the greatest practicable temperature in the feed-water, and the. regulation of the supply of feed-water should be-dependent uponthe amount in the heater v r available for feeding to the boilers.v

The'drawing represents in general plan view -an arrangement or system of embodying my improvements, and in this instance 1 have -chosen an installation/where a turbine is employed and where the steam is-expanded.

1 is the main steam-turbine, taking steam through the pipe 1 from the boiler.

- 2 is the exhaust-pipefrom turbine to condenser.

vauxiliary exhausts into 8.

3 is the surface condenser, receiving the exhaust from 2.

4 is an auxiliaryengine driving a circulating-pump takingcold water through-suction- -pipe 4' and forcing it through pipe 4 into the condenser to condensethe exhaust-steam therein, and 4"' is outlet-pipe carrying waste to sewer or elsewhere after having fulfilled its function of condensing the exhaust-steam in condenser. i

' 5 is an auxiliary engine driving a pump 6 for drawing the water from condensed steam from the condenser and'del-ivering itl to the heater 7 through pipe 6'.. 5' is the exhaustpipe from this' auxiliary engine Joining the exhaust 5 from 4.

7 is an open feed-water heater receivingthe exhaustfrom the auxiliaries through the sepa- "rator 8.

9 is a feed-water pump taking water from heater through pipe 10, and dischanggfingg;y to f boilers through pipe 11 it exhausts throughthe pipe 9, joining the other auxiliary exhausts,

and all entering the separator 8. Y

12 is the supplementary cold-water-feed supply emptying into the condenser3 to make up'any deciency in the water from condensed steam.v y trolled and regulated accordingv to the level of the heated Water in the heater 7 through the valve13, automatically opened or closed by a oat and connecting mechanism, as fully described in my Patent No. 530,749, dated December 11, 1894:, lines 41 to 53, page 1, except thatin the'lattercase the regulation permits This supplementary feed is conan overflow, while in this'case the regulationA affects the supply 'of supplementary .cold water to the condenser, where it becomes par'- tially heated before coming to the heaterl (proper. As this mechanism is not a part of my present invention, 'l will not further dey 14 is. an air-.pump exhausting air from `the condenser 3 through the p ip'e '15., This may be. driven by anysuitabley power, as electric motor or auxiliary steam-engine. In the lat- A ter case theI exhaust wouldVA 16 is theexhaust from heater into the atmosphere. l1 It. is .provided with a bach-pressure valve 17, -as willjbefurther explained.`

join the other v' l Took 18 is an air-pipe leading into the condenser. g It. is provided with the air-valve 1-9at the heater, set to open when the air which is liberated from the water by heating it in the heater -5 cools to the same temperature at which the short, should there be more exhaust from theauxiliaries than the `heater will condense or otherwise dispose of the pressure will in- 'crease until it is'high yenough to open, the

i back-pressure valve' 17, the surplus escaping to the atmosphere. It often occurs, however,

that the steam from .the auxiliaries is insuf icient to properly heat the feed-water in the heater. Therefore Icarry a pipe 2O from a receiver or other suitable point connected 4with the motor (inthe case illustrated it is taken from such a ,point of expansion in the turbine as .to insure the least loss of effectiveness 'with the greatest potentiality) to the heater 39` 7, so that this live steam shall make up the i possible deficiency in the auxiliary exhaust'. I place in this pipe 20 anautomatic throttling reducing-valve 21, soi-adjusted that the pres- .Y sure of the steam when it enters the heater 7 shall be below the 4pressure at 'whichthe backpressure valve 17 is set. Thus the supply of supplemental live steam y from 'the motor through 20 depends upon the pressure in the 4 heater 7 .and is regulated by the needs of the! 4o heater. itself, manifested 'by the pressure ex-.-

Iisting thereinnand therefore also bythe tem-.v i perature therein. I do' not, however, claim'.

or, limit myself to any'special'formdes'ign,

` or kind of valve, or means for regulating thel -supplemental steam -supply other than one operatingfasabove indicated.

K The operation and advantages of my im- .--..provement will beapparent. The steam after v accomplishing' its mission in themotorlis conj 5of'ydensed 1n the condenser .3 and is then drawn thevpumpy i'nto v'the lheater 7., where it is lheated bythe y exhaust-steam from ythe auXil-.

lanes-4, gan'd `9. When this exhaust is ilul sufficient, the supplemental live steam freni,V

' 1 through 2O at a pressure sufficiently' reduced by the valve 21 isadmitted to the-heaterl 7, where it further raises the temperaturefof the water frommhe condenser, itself, together l with the auxiliary exhausts, being to a certain f 6e extent condensed -at thesamef time andA becauseof this function of heating.v -Thejresultant hot waternearly at boiling-.peint is then ,pumped to boilers by the .pump/9 as it is needed. Should this feed fromv the heater be' 1,65-` insuicient, the dropping of the*waterlevel in 7 opens the valve 13 in the' supplemental 'cold-water-supply pipe l2, allowing suicient addtionalcold Water to enter the condenser 3 when it assists to condense the exhaust-steam from the motor 1 and is at the same time itself 10 raised to a considerable-temperature. It then is pumped, 'as before described, into the heater .7, where it is further heated and eventually finds its way to vthe boilers, as already explained. Thus the boilersupply of water 7 5 heated to a high degree is made practically automatic. lThere is no sudden lowering of the temperature of the feed by the direct admission of supplemental cold water, and the highest possible temperature in the water fed to the" boilers is attained with the least amount of supplemental steam from the receiver or motor, audit will .be evident thatthe vacuum vin the condenser, the condensed-steam supply to heater, the carrying the supplemental coldwater feed first to the condenser regulated'by the-needs of, as shown by the level in, .the heater, and the supplemental exhaust from main motor into the heater all coperate to attain this end. .f 90 f I do not limit myself to any special shape, l design, arrangement,- or character of motor, pump, condenser, heater, or other component vpart or parts of such system, my invention covering amethod ofv heating andfeeding and regulating and not the apparatus itself.

Where I have used the words exhauststeam or waste steam, I mean .bythis `steam that has done its-work or any other water of condensation by exhaustfrorn auxil- I IQ iary motors-supplementingthe exhaust from auxiliaries by steam at higher temperature, supplementing the water of condensation by supply-from other source, and regulating said `supplemental supply-automatically ac- 115 cording to the quantity reheated, substantiallyas described. l p

.2'. AThe method of heating and regulatinga sl'pplyof-water whichconsistsin condensing 4 l the exhaust from main motors, heating thel 120 y water of condensation by exhaust from auxiliary motors, supplementing the water of condensa'tion by supply from another source, and regulating said supplemental supply automat- "ically according to the quantity reheated, sub.- I 25 l stantiallyas described. y

3.v The method of heating .and regulating a supply of water whichconsists in .condensing4 waste steam, reheating the water of conden- 'steam that is capable of further utilization` Ioo sation by Waste steam', automatically supple- {39 inenting' the reheating medium by steam at a higher temperature, supplementing the Water of condensation by supply from another source, automatically regulating' said supply according to lthe quantity reheated, substantially as described.

l. 'l`he method of heating and regulating' a supply of water which consists in condensing waste. steam, separately reheating the water of coinlensaton, supplementing the water of condensation by supply from another source, automaticall y regulating' said supply according' to the total quantity reheated, substantially as described.

5. 'lhe method of heating' and regulating a supply of water which consists in condensing vaste steam, separately rehcatii'ig' the water of cmnlensaton, :ud-omatically regulating the supply of water to be reheated according to the total quantity reheated, substantially/'as described.

'lhe method of heating and regulating water which consists in condensing' waste steam, reheating the water of condensation, automatically supplementing` the rcheating medimn according' to its temperatlu'e by a medium of higher temperature, automatically regulating' the supply of water to be reheated according' to the quantity reheated, substantially as described.

7.v 'lhe method of heating and regulating' a supply of water which consists in continuously condensing waste steam, separately reheating the water of condensation, exhausting the air from the reheated water, and automatically regulating the supply of water to be reheated according to the total quantity reheated, substantially as described.

8. 'lhe method of heating and reg'ulatinga supply of water which consists in continuously condensing' waste steam, supplementing the water of condensation at the place of condensation by a supply from another source. separatel y reheating the entire water-suppl y, and automatically regulating' the supplemental water-supply according' to the total quantity rcheated, substantiall y as` described.

9. The method of heating and regulating a supply of water which consists in continuously separately reheating condensed steam, automatically supplementing the condensation according to the total vquantity reheated, substantially as described.

l0. The process of water-heating' which consists in condensing waste steam, separately heating' the condensation by waste steam, au'

tomatically supplementing the waste steam as a heating medium by steam at a higher temperature, substantially as described.

l l. '.lhe process of water-heating which consists in automatically removing the air, libel'- ated by said heating, according to its temperature, substantially as described.

12. 'lhe method of heating and regulating a supply of water which consists in condensing waste steam, automatically sul'iplenuinting' the condensation, separately heating the condensation and supplement, automatically regulating' the temperature of the heating medium, substantially as described. s

Signed at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, this 11th day of Septemlmr., A. l). 1903.

.DA Vl l) COGl IRNE.

Witnesses:

li( mum' CLIFTON, Josemi M. llU'lonrNsoN. 

